Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (July-August 2017)

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#1,003      

Ga65

G
Ga65
IMO There a very few game changers out there and probably only some of the five stars. After that filling the positions for the system, chemistry and coaching make the difference. We all have our favorite recruits but they wouldn't have offers if they didn't fit. They are all good players and predicting their development is not easy. As long as we get the right mix of bigs and ball handlers, etc. recruiting has been a success. However, we must do our part by beating it to death.
 
#1,004      

Joel Goodson

Joel Goodson
respect my decision™
Joel Goodson
IlliniBrave75 said:
Kid in our backyard...haven't heard much about him until lately!

MIDWEST HIGH MAJORS NEED TO BE SURE TO SEE ZION GRIFFIN

After watching him play in the Hardwood Classic, Iowa State was quick to offer a scholarship to new-to-the-radar recruit Zion Griffin. I don't think they'll be the last Big 12 program to offer and I'm betting Big Ten programs get in on the action as well.

If I am a coach at a high major program in the Midwest, I'm making it a priority to get somebody on my staff out to Kansas this week to evaluate the high flying and tough lefty wing at the Sunflower Showdown.

Maybe Griffin's breakout performance at the Hardwood was the weekend of his life, but if it wasn't he's a guy that I would want to be very sure about before passing up on him. Consider this, when given the chance to play against Nike EYBL powers Howard Pulley and Boo Williams, Griffin went for 42 and 31 points. That type of production against high level grassroots competition is awfully tough to ignore and because of that Griffin deserves more looks.

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/bossi-s-takeaways-what-we-learned-in-dallas-and-kansas
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Holy sheepstuff! Fully expect staff to due its due diligence on Griffin posthaste. This kid looks very good.
 
#1,006      

Deleted member 10676

D
Guest
Deleted member 10676
[FONT=&quot]Joe Henricksen‏ @joehoopsreport 36m36 minutes ago [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]A big 'ol batch of July takeaways on Illinois prospects from two #NY2LA weekends & other live period events ...

[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]http://www.suntimeshighschoolsports.com/2017/07/25/henricksen-mid-july-takeaways-bunch-busy-evaluation-period/
[/FONT]
 
#1,007      

soupy17

soupy17
MI
soupy17
#1,008      

TownieMatt

T
CU Expat
Chicago
TownieMatt
soupy17 said:
Interesting that Joe doesn't mention Northwestern is his blurb on THT.
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Henricksen is a fantastic elevator of talent, and is as plugged-in to the high school scene as anyone in the state, but he doesn't follow every recruiting twist and turn as closely as others. I don't think we should read too much into NU not being mentioned.
 
#1,009      

EJ33

E
San Francisco
EJ33
james81 said:
Henricksen now rates him above Finke
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I can't recall a better stat line than this:

In a matchup with Howard Pulley, Griffin shot 17 of 25 from the field, including 9 of 14 from beyond the arc and scored 42 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.
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Very impressive.
 
#1,010      

james81

J
North Carolina
james81
While Henricksen predicted a breakout July for Zion Griffin, he's been off the radar for D1 programs. With all of the offers BU has made, we could be in for some big surprises when the dust settles. I'm starting to think Finke will end up at Vanderbilt, and if he does, it might suggest we have a monster class coming in. It's still a roll of the dice, but we could end up with a class that instantly transforms the status of Illinois basketball.
 
#1,011      

Kathy

K
Kathy
james81 said:
While Henricksen predicted a breakout July for Zion Griffin, he's been off the radar for D1 programs. With all of the offers BU has made, we could be in for some big surprises when the dust settles. I'm starting to think Finke will end up at Vanderbilt, and if he does, it might suggest we have a monster class coming in. It's still a roll of the dice, but we could end up with a class that instantly transforms the status of Illinois basketball.
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What is making you to "start thinking" that T Finke is going to Vandy? Wishful thinking on the monster class. Put me down with you wanting that "monster" class.
 
#1,012      

james81

J
North Carolina
james81
Kajagoogoo said:
I'd love to see Finke head to Vandy if for no other reason than to alleviate pressure on the Illinois staff for taking a legacy recruit that's trending downward. But from talking to some people in the know (and I don't know if their sources are correct), it sure sounds like Underwood will take Finke regardless of his recent struggles AND Finke seems to be a heavy Illini lean.
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Kathy said:
What is making you to "start thinking" that T Finke is going to Vandy? Wishful thinking on the monster class. Put me down with you wanting that "monster" class.
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Unless Finke has a guaranteed spot, there's no compelling reason for him to wait to verbal, assuming he wants to play at Illinois. Why sit back and watch BU offer other wings while you're losing ground? If BU offers Griffin, that will suggest to me that Finke isn't a done deal, thus the Vanderbilt scenario comes into play. In turn, if he verbals to Vanderbilt, it could be an indication he knew his status with Illinois was uncertain (suggesting other prospects were in play). Why Vanderbilt? In a word--prestige--outside of Illinois, it's the best academic school recruiting him and Finke's career will not be BB. Of course, logic has nothing to do with recruiting.
 
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#1,013      

OrangeAndBlues

O
Indianapolis
OrangeAndBlues
Kajagoogoo said:
I'd love to see Finke head to Vandy if for no other reason than to alleviate pressure on the Illinois staff for taking a legacy recruit that's trending downward. But from talking to some people in the know (and I don't know if their sources are correct), it sure sounds like Underwood will take Finke regardless of his recent struggles AND Finke seems to be a heavy Illini lean.
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FWIW, that's not what I'm hearing at all. I'm not sure if his offer is even still committable.
 
#1,014      

OldGreg

O
OldGreg
james81 said:
While Henricksen predicted a breakout July for Zion Griffin, he's been off the radar for D1 programs. With all of the offers BU has made, we could be in for some big surprises when the dust settles. I'm starting to think Finke will end up at Vanderbilt, and if he does, it might suggest we have a monster class coming in. It's still a roll of the dice, but we could end up with a class that instantly transforms the status of Illinois basketball.
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What exactly does this monster class you're taking about look like?
 
#1,015      

TCTORNADO

TCTORNADO
TCTORNADO
Vandy has offered 2 new wings in the last 3 days--Landers Nolley II and Aaron Nesmith. Not sure Finke's offer is commitable there, also.
 
#1,016      

james81

J
North Carolina
james81
OldGreg said:
What exactly does this monster class you're taking about look like?
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Not a monster class like Kentucky, but a class that included both THT and Ayo, a big such as Conditt, Sow or Amanze Ngumezi, and a player on the rise such as Zion Griffin or Jericole Hellems. The national ranking of this class would not reflect it's importance to our program, but it would generate a monster level of enthusiasm. Is such a class likely? No. Possible? Yes.
 
#1,019      

Illiniguy13

Illiniguy13
Illiniguy13
IlliniJim20 said:
Wow, you seem really down on Finke lately. Personal opinion or what you are hearing?
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Another poster mentioned a common trend in recruiting is that players who trend upwards late in the recruiting cycle tend to maintain that upward trend into their collegiate careers. Players who trend down typically continue that downward trend at the next level. There's good reason for the concern, unfortunately.
 
#1,020      

IlliniDent

IlliniDent
Chicago, IL
IlliniDent
Illiniguy13 said:
Another poster mentioned a common trend in recruiting is that players who trend upwards late in the recruiting cycle tend to maintain that upward trend into their collegiate careers. Players who trend down typically continue that downward trend at the next level. There's good reason for the concern, unfortunately.
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At this point Finke is becoming option D or E unfortunately
 
#1,021      

zpfled

Z
Logan Square, Chicago
zpfled
For some reason, I'm just not that interested in recruiting this summer because I have a sense that our staff will identify good fits and then go get them. We won't win every battle of course, but I have none of the anxiety re: recruiting that I've had with the past 2 coaching staffs.

Much less stressful, but also not quite as fun to follow this way either:)
 
#1,022      

TCTORNADO

TCTORNADO
TCTORNADO
zpfled said:
For some reason, I'm just not that interested in recruiting this summer because I have a sense that our staff will identify good fits and then go get them. We won't win every battle of course, but I have none of the anxiety re: recruiting that I've had with the past 2 coaching staffs.

Much less stressful, but also not quite as fun to follow this way either:)
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Wait until OV's begin in September, now that will be fun.:)
 
#1,023      

FC Illiniman

F
FC Illiniman
TCTORNADO said:
Wait until OV's begin in September, now that will be fun.:)
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I agree, OV start, then we can see which way they are trending,...love to see our football team do great in September when they make visits. Was thinking THT was not a chance after reading all chit chat. Not so sure now.
THT was to have said he would not be surprised if he and AYO would not be at same school, but it wasn`t his tweet, someone else posted it. Ayo won`t commit soon, I`m sure we waiting till bitter end for him, but , if THT is still WIDE open, hope the staff is calling daily.:thumb::illinois:
 
#1,024      

Combo

C
Combo
james81 said:
While Henricksen predicted a breakout July for Zion Griffin, he's been off the radar for D1 programs. With all of the offers BU has made, we could be in for some big surprises when the dust settles. I'm starting to think Finke will end up at Vanderbilt, and if he does, it might suggest we have a monster class coming in. It's still a roll of the dice, but we could end up with a class that instantly transforms the status of Illinois basketball.
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Every year, we have things that suggest we might have a monster class. It generally doesn't happen. Maybe this year will be the exception, but I'm not counting on it.
 
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